Our new home

Did you guys notice anything different around here? 

You DID?!?! Doesn't it look awesome?? Hubs-man and I have been working HARD on trying to come up with a template that reflects Mind, Body, & Soul Yoga.  We wanted it to look calm, clean and reminisce the fun times to be had on the mat when you are in class with us.  Normally, changes can be a bit scary, but sometimes you have to embrace them.  You can be surprised how much you like the results!!  I think we did a pretty good job with this change!  What are your thoughts on it?? Do you normally embrace change or is it something that you veer away from?

Thoughts of the day...

I've been finding it hard to balance sleep, housework and work work during this month. Fasting has really thrown me off my schedule. 

I keep telling myself as I get into bed 4 hours later than I planned, that tomorrow will be different. Tomorrow I will just accept that I can't get everything done and that I need sleep more than I need an organized home. But tomorrow comes and goes and I find myself in the same dilemma. Up way too late stuck on something that could have been done in the morning.

I realize that its because I never truly believed I would sleep early the next day anyways. I was just hoping I wouldn't be up that late. I don't know why I lie to myself, pretending it will be different but I do know that I need to take control and make it stop. The reality is that not sleeping at a normal hour is bad for your biological clock and messes up your body's functionality in so many ways. I know this, but I still do it.

Hopefully now that I have admitted it, I will make a stronger effort to not do it anymore. We'll see :) feel free to berate me if u see anymore 3 AM posts! In the meantime, I would love to hear what things you do that you keep promising you will stop. Maybe telling me will help you on your way too...

Sleepless eyes + yawns,
<3 T

Desserts = LOVE

So, those of you who know me know that 9 times out of 10 I will always definitely order one of the healthier items off the menu. 

I try to live my life making as many healthy choices as I can on a regular basis.  This allows for me to enjoy myself at birthday/dinner parties where I have little control over what goes on to my plate.

That being said, 9 times out of 10 I will also ALWAYS order dessert, with some concern as to its calorie count. I have tried to make an effort on this because lets' face it... the dessert that hits my lips DEFINITELY finds its way to my hips!! So, when I find a dessert recipe that looks pretty easy and is a bit healthier than eating a cup of ice cream, I jump on it!

That's where the No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies join the scene.   I don't know how I found these, and I don't know why I decided I had to make them, but let me tell you I am so glad I did! These things are delicious!!! Mine did not turn out as pretty as the ones on Brown Eyed Baker but based on her description of how they tasted I am pretty sure they taste the same!! I'm not sure if using the Simply Jif had anything to do with with my weird texture on the "dough", but I'm bummed because I usually have freshly ground PB in the house.  When I was getting the ingredients together I found this tub that hubs-man had bought a few months back, I realized now was as good a time as any to try it since we didn't have the other one.  So, go ahead and try out these amazing cookies and tell me what you think! I'm thinking I will try to figure out a way to make them even healthier next time... what do you think?

High Fiber & chocolatey goodness,

<3 T

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No-Bake Chocolate, Peanut Butter & Oatmeal Cookies

Yield: 2 to 3 dozen cookies  Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooling Time: 30 minutes

½ cup (1 stick) butter  

2 cups granulated sugar

½ cup milk

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

½ cup peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 cups quick-cooking oats

Add the first four ingredients (through the cocoa powder) to a 4-quart saucepan.

Bring to a rolling boil and let boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat, and stir in the peanut butter and vanilla until smooth.

Add in the oats.

Stir the oats until the oats are all properly coated with the chocolate mixture, making sure not to let the chocolate cool too much in the process or it wont set properly.

Drop by heaping tablespoons onto wax paper-lined baking sheets.

Let cool until set.

(Recipe adapted from Ezra Pound Cake as posted by Brown Eyed Baker)

As Kermit says, "It's not easy being Green"

I am super excited about this post because of all the new amazing things I learned.

I was invited by Brenda Ruiz of Hello Houston! Media to attend an event at Ruggles Green- City Centre that would showcase what they were doing to help the environment and just why they have the "green" in Ruggles Green.

To start off the night was Lydia Smith, Ruggles' Green Liaison. She gave us a quick background about Ruggles and introduced to us Federico Marques, The Green Guy.  Now, Mr. Marques has one interesting background!!  With previous positions at Bayer and NAFTA, this patent carrying, invention toting "Green Guy" was just what the industry needed. His extensive background is what helped Houston Open up it's first Certified "Green" Restaurant, Ruggles Green, in 2008 at 2311 W. Alabama. Opening just a few years later, Ruggles Green- City Centre boasts the titles of "Greenest Restaurant in Texas" and "3rd Greenest Restaurant in the Nation".  But that's not all! Ruggles Green was not satisfied with being just "one of" the Green Restaurants.

So, through much work and determination, it led them to the current construction of Sugar Land's very own Ruggles Green, set to open late August, with a Grand Opening in September. So, what's so special about the Sugar Land location? I'm so glad you asked! It will be the greenest restaurant in the world. That's right, WORLD! How you ask? (Seriously loving these questions!) Well, a restaurant's "green" factor is based on a point system set-up by the Green Restaurant Association. The association takes into account several things:

1. Water Efficiency
2. Waste Reduction and Recycling
3. Sustainable Furnishings and Building Materials
4. Sustainable Food
5. Energy
6. Disposables
7. Chemical and Pollution Reduction 

Each category is a way to earn points.  The more points you accumulate the higher the rating you will receive. Currently, Ruggles Green- City Centre has a 4-star rating.  However, the Sugar Land location is set to have a 5-star rating. Yup, FIVE star. Do you know how many other Green restaurants have a 5-star rating? No? That's probably because NO OTHER RESTAURANT has it!! Can you tell I am excited about it?? Some of the ways this will be accomplished is from having Energy efficient dish washers, rain water collectors to irrigate the herb gardens out on the patio, low-flow toilets, HE A/C units, and Federico's baby and research project, LED lights, which will be used to light the restaurant. This is just a taste of what great steps the Ruggles Green management is taking to ensure a pleasant experience with the smallest possible carbon footprint.

But that's still not all!!! Ruggles Green also boasts a very friendly menu, as in: gluten-free friendly, vegetarian friendly, and dairy-free friendly. Lydia ordered for us to try the High-Protein Hempenadas, Ruggles Green Margherita Pizza, Fresh Vegetable Pizza, House-made Organic Chickpea Hummus and finished off with the delicious Hemp Brownies (which sadly I did not get a picture of).

Ruggles Green Margherita Pizza

Fresh Vegetable Pizza

High-protein Hempenadas

House-made Organic Chick Pea Hummus with Plantains

Now tell me, aren't your tastebuds BEGGING for you to take them there for your next meal? If not, I don't think you looked closely enough at the pictures, take a look again, I will wait... doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo... Ok, hungry yet? Good. Since every item on the menu boasts natural ingredients (as in nitrate free, preservative ffree, antibiotic free and no HFC) I personally and happily go to Ruggles Green- City Centre at least 2 or 3 times a month, and considering my family only eats out about 5 times a month, those are some good odds! So, listen to those singing taste buds and head on over!!! You might just run into me at the City Centre location.  Afterall, I have been a regular since 2009 ;)

Can I have a hug with that?

I learned many, many things in yoga teacher training (YTT) and I like to think that all of it resonated with me and made me a better person, teacher, wife, mother, sister and friend.  I was truly blown away at how much I GREW (not physically sadly, I'm still a short 5'4").   I honestly was not expecting that much inner reflection to happen, but I am so glad it did. It helped me to realize how closed off I had been making myself and it also helped me to realize why.  But those stories are for a different time and day.  For now, I want to share how I learned to survive.

One day we were discussing how being a yoga teacher can sometimes mean that we will be confidants for our students.  How you react to this is very important. Sometimes the student may just need an open ear, and other times something as simple as a hug. One quote that our amazing YTT teacher read us really struck a cord...

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“We need 4 hugs a day for survival. We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance. We need 12 hugs a day for growth.”

—Virginia Satir, family therapist

I realized at that moment that one of the reasons I had been having such a hard time dealing with my own emotions, my families emotions and my baby's emotions was that I was not putting enough weight on the importance of touch. It's something so simple. 

For example, when you first get married, you are so happy and excited and want to spend every second cuddled up on the couch next to that person snuggling.  Then as time goes on, you still feel the same way, but you allow yourself to make other things priorities. Suddenly the cuddling doesn't happen as often. You realize you aren't holding hands as much. Before you know it, you realize you have been living two parallel lives under one roof. And even though you sneak a quick hello kiss or goodnight kiss as you each tuck away in bed for the evening, the amount of actual physical contact you experience is minimal. This is why so many seemingly happy couples can end up in unhappy marriages. 

To take it to a personal level, giving yourself that mental hug of approval on a daily basis does wonders for the soul. Often we forget to show that love we have for others to ourselves from fear of becoming "vain" or "self centered" (but what good is taking care of someone else if you don't even take care of yourself?) 

Or even just hugging your parents or loved ones when saying hello instead of a quick peck on the cheek. Little personal interactions like this can be so powerful to not only your emotional health but your mental health as well. I like to imagine little protons and electrons transferring between our bodies, creating happy positive energy with each hug.

[via]

So, I propose that you go and write down how you feel, at this moment. Then for the rest of the week aim to get 12 hugs a day in and see how you feel at the end of each of those days. And I don't mean 12 "awkward I really don't want to be doing this" hugs. I mean 12 "if I don't do this I am going to be dead so I am holding on for dear life" hugs, even if its just for a second. Do this for a week writing down how you feel at the end of each day and let me know what you think... 

+s & -s,

<3 T

Hi Pillow, It's me, Tania. I miss you...

Dear Pillow,

Oh how I have missed thee!  These past few weeks I know I have been neglecting you, but I promise it won't always be this way. I am not avoiding you, I swear! Ramadan and trying to find ways to get the word out about Mind, Body, & Soul Yoga have led me to working late nights and early mornings rises. I promise once Ramadan is over I will begin to "sleep in". We will once again snuggle cozily listening to the faint hum of the baby monitor as Zaki snoozes away... until his 6AM wake ups of course.

Please do not take our time apart personally. My skin misses you MORE than you can ever imagine!! Its gone crazy, not knowing what to do with itself from lack of sleep. And oh what beautiful sleep!!! You always know JUST the right way to regenerate my skin and keep it dewy fresh.

Please pillow, just give me one more chance. The moon sighting is in just two weeks... I promise I'll be back then. I love your smooth Egyptian Cottony wonderfulness...

Until we meet again,

<3 T

Arch Nemesis #1: The Cartwheel

Hi there. My name is Tania, I'm 29 and I can't do a cartwheel.

I know, I'm a yoga instructor who can't do a cartwheel, how lame is that? It's so embarassing to see 6 year olds running around watching someone else do it and on their FIRST TRY master it. FIRST TRY!!!

[via]

 

 

And here I am, 29 years old and the best i can do is a miniature donkey kick up into the air... at best. Hee. Haw. :(

Now, don't get me wrong, I have some killer core muscle. My core can defo hold me up. My arms are toned and can happily be in plank, down dog, etc for a while without serious dying (just a minor death, no biggie ;) ). But ask me to do a cartwheel and its like watching a one year old trying to walk for the first time. Sad thing is that it is like that EVERY time.

I've just come to accept it as a fact of my life. I'm 29 and I can't do a cartwheel. So what?! I will keep trying but I won't lose too much sleep over it. I will continue to rock my yoga workouts, and try and overcome the fear of falling.  Yes, the sole reason I am unable to do a cartwheel is because I instantly envision myself falling head first, breaking my neck and dying. And I bet you know why... "Stop doing that! You will break your neck child!" Yup, although she may not believe it, those warnings/threats have always stuck with me. You see mom, I WAS listening... and now I am 29 and cartwheel-less. 

However,  I will continue to try.  Asking people during teacher trainings or talking to friends when we are in a studio.  Just getting a practice in here and there, always determined that "today" maybe the day.  That's how I accomplished crow (also difficult do to the "breaking your neck syndrome") and maybe one day I will be able to say, "Hi. I my name is Tania. And even though I am 40, I can FINALLY do a cartwheel!"

[via]

Dreams & donkey kicks,

<3 T